Apparatus for cutting and positioning dough in a pan

Abstract

An apparatus and method for cutting a sheet of dough and delivering a cut dough portion to a surface of a pan. A cutting ring having a cutting edge is positioned on an upper surface of a pan. A sheet of dough above at least a surface of the pan is pressed against the upper cutting edge to fall onto the dough receiving surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for cutting dough pieces from a sheet of elastic dough and placing the cut dough pieces in a pan, the apparatus comprising: a pan having at least one shaped cavity for receiving a cut dough piece;   removable cutting means comprising at least one cutting ring having a continuous cutting edge for cutting dough pieces from a sheet of elastic dough and for causing each cut dough piece to be of a desired shape after snap-back;   quick release and alignment means for aligning each cutting ring to each shaped cavity in two directions, for positioning each cut dough piece centrally in the cavity after snapback and for permitting rapid removal of the cutting means from the pan, wherein the quick release and alignment means is spaced from an outer perimeter of the pan.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a sidewall which is substantially cylindrical. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a sidewall which is substantially frustoconical. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutting edge is bevelled. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutting means comprises four cutting rings and a cutting ring web, wherein the cutting rings are secured to the cutting ring web, and wherein the pan includes a pan web, and wherein four shaped cavities are provided and are secured to the pan web. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the quick release and alignment means for aligning each cutting ring to each shaped cavity in two directions, for positioning each cut dough piece centrally in the cavity after snap-back and for permitting rapid removal of the cutting means from the pan includes a pair of spaced pins extending from a lower surface of the cutting ring web, and a pair of spaced apertures extending through upper and lower surfaces of the pan web for receiving the pins. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each cavity has a sidewall meeting the pan web defining an upper edge, and a bottom surface, the intersection of the sidewall and the bottom surface defining a lower edge. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the cutting ring is larger than the larger of the upper edge and lower edge. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of 7 wherein each cutting ring is substantially oval in shape and defines an area which is larger than an area defined by the upper edge. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each cutting ring rests on an upper surface of the pan, and each cutting edge is spaced from the upper surface of the pan. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each cutting ring is substantially oval in shape and each dough piece is substantially circular in shape after snap-back. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a wall of each cutting ring is positioned substantially perpendicular to an upper surface of the cutting ring web. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a center of an area defined by the cutting ring is centered above a center of the cavity.